Rekindled Flames
by AnimaObsidian
Summary: When the survivors of the Game thought their dealings with the UG has ended, the unexpected happens. A little bit Neku x Shiki. My first attempt on a story, please R&R! //Update: Chapter VI: Neku's fate is revealed. Great trials await him...//
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Prologue**

_Same streets.___

_Same crowds, too.___

_Same old towering buildings and crowded street.___

_It's another morning in Shibuya, Tokyo._

As one of the 23 wards composing Tokyo, Shibuya is one of the more bustling ones. The famous scramble crossing is flooded by a wide variety of people every single day. An icon of Shibuya, the 104 building, overlooks the crossing.

In the midst of the everyday vortex of human traffic, a young boy rushed to school. He darted off to Shirogakuen, bumping into at least 5 people on his way.

"Crap! I'm late! Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

The boy continued to run, ignoring the people eyeing him. His school uniform has wrinkled from his quick running. He was starting to sweat, yet he didn't slow down.

At last, he made it to school, 10 minutes before the bell. He knew that he wasn't late, but he continued running to class.

As he opened the door, a familiar voice greeted him. "You finally showed up, Neku," a girl said in a relaxed manner.

The boy gasped for air, trying to stabilize his breathing. After he had done so, he replied the girl.

"I missed the bus, Shiki."

"You seem to always take your sweet time in waking up," said Shiki, while fixing her short, brown hair.

"Hey, it's not my fault. The buses always leave so early, and I live so far from the bus stops," complained Neku. "After all, it was you who were late at our meeting last week." He was talking about their promised meeting at Hachiko.

"Stop it, Neku!"

Neku just chuckled. He actually enjoys teasing Shiki like that.

Finally, the school bell rang. The class quickly sat down, waiting for their homeroom teacher. Some chatter could still be heard, but it certainly has died down compared to 10 minutes ago.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the hallway.

"I don't wanna be late, yo! Beatwagon! Full speed ahead!" the voice said, followed by more irritated screams and shoutings from the teachers.

The whole class broke into laughter as Daisukenojo Bito, better known as 'Beat', slammed the door, ran straight for his seat, and screamed his signature "Bwaaaagh" as he tripped and fell in front of the class.

Neku and Shiki couldn't help but laugh at their helpless friend.


	2. Chapter I: The 1st Day

**I. The 1st Day**  
_Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

The clock continued to tick in the quiet classroom. The summer heat seeped into the room, slowly grilling the already stressed students. They started to wipe off sweat from their foreheads, while trying to remember the answers for the questions in front of them.

_Why did the teacher have to make a final quiz before the summer holidays?_

Neku had already finished; he was rechecking his answers. Although he looked pretty serious, this was only to avert his hands from subconsciously reaching for his headphones. He keeps them around his neck, just in case he gets bored. But in his moment of need, he couldn't risk it.

Shiki had also finished, but fortunately for her, she can draw on a piece of paper provided for the quiz. She had written some of her rough work there, but she erased them to make space for her drawing.

As for Beat, he was obviously struggling. It almost seemed that he was facing a test for MIT students. The heat made it even harder for him, so he quickly took off his skull beanie and used it as a swab.

The heat continued to torment them. They were raring to get out and cool themselves. Fortunately, time was on their side that day.

The school bell finally rang. As the teacher delivers the stock speech before school's officially out for summer, the class took a deep breath of joy. Neku quickly put on his headphones and played a song. Shiki packed her things while humming a happy tune.

Beat slammed his head on the desk, his brain stressed, and his body weak from the heat.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"So, Neku," said Shiki, while drinking some iced tea, "what are you going to do this summer?"

The 3, having decided to go somewhere after school, went to a cafe near the scramble crossing and cooled themselves. It was a temporary refuge from the tormenting summer sun.

"I dunno, haven't decided yet. I'm thinking of working part-time, though."

"At the Coffee Man's shop?" asked Beat. Both he and Shiki somehow felt that their orange-haired friend would go there to work. After all, the owner was Neku's personal idol.

"Maybe," replied Neku, "but I've been visiting him too many times. Even he recommended trying someplace new."

Neku had gone to the WildKat Café almost everyday. The owner, Mr. Hanekoma, enjoyed Neku's company, but he encouraged Neku to try new things. "'Expand your world, Phones', he said," Neku recalled.

"But anyways, enough about me. Hey Beat, shouldn't you be picking up Rhyme now?"

"Naw, she's already at home. My folks picked her up at school," answered Beat.

Shiki sighed a bit, her expression saying 'that's a shame'. She wanted to meet little Rhyme again, at least once. They've never met even once since their last meeting at Hachiko.

"Oh yeah, Beat, what are YOU going to do this summer?" Neku said, "You don't seem to have any plans."

"Yeah Beat," Shiki added, "you haven't got any plans, do you? Would you mind helping me and Eri model for our clothes?"  
Neku and Shiki knew that this is the perfect way to tease Beat. As they have expected, he screamed his usual shout: "BWAAAAAGH!"

"Yo, man, don't turn me into a cross-dresser! I'm a man, and that's final!"

They continued to laugh together, losing track of time. After it had gone dark, they decided to split up and go to their homes.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Two familiar figures watch from atop 104, as the three friends split up at the ever-crowded scramble crossing. One man wore a black vest, the other covered in a luminous white aura. He seemed to be overflowing with divine energy.

"Cross-dressing, hmm?" the white figure said, playing with his long hair. "I think I'm going to try and do it myself one of these days."

"You sure about that, Boss?" the black vested man said. He chuckled to himself for quite a long time, until the luminous one interrupted him.

"Hey, it's my choice, Mr. H. Anyways, that's beside the point. I see that Neku has made some progress since we last met."

"Right on the money, Boss. He certainly has shown changes. Good ones, to be exact," Mr. H replied.

The white-haired man smiled, looking down at the orange-haired boy leaving for the Shibuya West Exit. "I think I'm going to watch over my dear partner for just a bit longer..."

The white-haired man transfigurated into a younger form of himself. As he chuckled playfully, he disappears in a white flash of light.


	3. Chapter II: My Dear Partner

**II. My Dear Partner**

Neku had lied down on his futon. He reminisced about the entire day; how he met his two friends, and their talk about summer. He had called them a few moments ago, telling them to meet again at Hachiko. He also added a special instruction for Beat: bring Rhyme too. Both he and Shiki wanted to meet her again. Everyone likes her kind and calm demeanor.

But there was one thing that still bugs him. He wanted to see _him_ again. There was too much that he needed to say; his anger, his animosity, and also his deep gratitude.

"Heh, what the hell am I thinking?" Neku asked to himself. "He won't see me. Not in a long time. After all, he's got some work to do."

It was obvious that Neku never thought of seeing him again. He won't jump from the top floor of Cadoi City just to meet him at the UG again. He's not that desperate.

After brushing his teeth, Neku decided to call it a day.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was already a few minutes past midnight. The neighborhood where Neku lives has turned quiet, save for a few barks and howls from stray dogs.

Neku couldn't sleep. He was too excited, waiting for the morning to come. After a few moments of rolling on his own futon, he decided to play a few games on his DS, but turned down the sound, being careful to prevent waking his parents.

"You should sleep, Neku. Staying up so late would ruin your complexion."

Neku was startled by that voice. He put down his DS and looked across the room, but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be found. It was _his_ voice.

As Neku started to calm down and return to his DS, pale white fingers tickled his chin. It came from his right.

"Quit it Josh. I always figured you were gay," Neku insulted to the white fingers. He knew that it was him; the one who pretended to be his partner, yet was bent on the destruction of his beloved Shibuya. At the last moment, however, he had a change of heart, and decided to stay his hand.

He is none other than Shibuya's Composer, Joshua.

"Oh, don't be so rash, Neku," replied Josh, "after all, I am your dear partner, hee hee."

"WERE. You _were_ my partner. Now you're nothing more than Mr. Composer Guy. Anyways, whaddya want from me?"

"Do you always have to be so serious, Neku? Can't we just talk about other things, like friends do?" Joshua said. He was definitely disappointed of how Neku treated him.

"No. You were not my friend, and you won't be my friend in a very long time."

It was obvious that Neku despised Josh with all his passion. There is a small room in his heart that wants to forgive him for all that he has done, but unfortunately Neku was unable to think clearly at the moment. He was preoccupied with Joshua's behaviour, which he had not liked for a very long time.

"Well, I should get to the point, then. Why don't we go to the Dead God's Pad? We can talk more casually there," Josh suggested.

The Dead God's Pad is a lounge for the Conductor and his subordinate Officer Reapers meet. It is a highly luxurious lounge, equipped with a bar and a jukebox. It seems to be located above water, since fish can be seen swimming below through the transparent floor. Now that the Conductor's seat is empty, and there are no major Reaper officers, Joshua has turned it into his own personal getaway.

"I suppose, yeah, but how do we get there? It's past midnight," Neku asked.

"Don't worry, Neku. You of all people should know that I have, how do I say it, _special privileges_."

Joshua pointed his finger forward, warm beams of light streaming from his fingertip and engulfing the two. With Joshua's playful chuckle and a magnificent light show, Neku and Joshua disappeared with a flash of bright blue.


	4. Chapter III: The Dead God's Pad

**III. The Dead God's Pad**

Neku had regained his vision after being blinded by the bright light. Before him lies a pool table. Schools of fish swam under his feet. He could hear someone shaking liquid, possibly mixing some drinks at the minibar.

"Welcome to the Dead God's Pad, Neku," Joshua suddenly said, surprising the still confused Neku. He was sitting on the bar stool, waiting for his drink.

"Hey there, Phones! You wanna have a drink?" a voice called out from behind the minibar. It was Mr. Hanekoma, who poured liquor into an elegant glass. Joshua took the glass and sipped.

"A nice mix, Mr. H, but next time make it a little bit more sour, please," Josh commented. "Oh yeah, Neku, have a seat."

Neku quickly sat two stools away from Joshua.

"I'll have something alcohol-free, Mr. H. I'm still underage," Neku answered Mr. H's previous question. He was not surprised by Mr. H being in the Dead God's Pad, but he certainly was shocked at the fact that his favorite artist and coffee brewer also knows how to mix liquors.

"Alright then, I'll brew you my special blend. You owe me for this, Phones!" joked Mr. H. He then proceeded to prepare his special blend.

"So, whaddya want to talk about, Josh?" asked Neku. His tone showed that he was disgruntled. "This better be worth my time."

Josh calmly finished his drink, and answered Neku. "Well, I have some news for you. You remember this guy? We fought him together." He takes a picture from his pocket and showed it to Neku. The picture was that of a young man, possibly still in his twentys -- no, maybe he's just three years older than Neku. He wore a red bandanna, covered with a black cap. He wore some kind of black trenchcoat and part of his pants were ripped on the knees. If he didn't have any of his weird tattoos, he would've made a few schoolgirls squee at his presence.

"This is... Pi-Face, right?" Neku asked. Pi-Face was a nickname he made up for the man in the picture, Sho Minamimoto. He was a math genius, and his love for the subject earned him the nickname. He was a powerful enemy, for he almost killed Neku with a self-sacrificing attack, had he not been saved by Joshua. After being transformed into Soul, his Taboo Noise refinery sigil brought him back to life, with even more power. He was ready to face the Composer of Shibuya and succeed his position. However, his efforts were in vain, for The Composer quickly disposed of him. "I thought you killed him off, Josh," said Neku.

"Yeah. At least, that's what I think," Josh said with a troubled face.

"Whaddya mean by that?" Neku asked. Joshua never looked so troubled. Even if Sho had posed a threat to him, his Composer powers would finish him off before he can touch him.

"Well," Josh sighed, "you know that parallel universes exist, right? There is one like our universe out there, but slightly different."

Neku continued to listen to his old partner. He was curious about what he meant by 'slightly different'.

"You see, he was never killed there. Instead, he became the new Composer," Josh continued.

"But, how can he kill you there? Your powers there must be similar to yours here, right?"

"Unfortunately, no, my dear Neku. He surpassed me. At least, the 'me' existing in that universe," Josh answered.

"The problem is, he can go here if he wishes to. He can easily rule this Shibuya and bring some... problems."

"So, you want me to help you get rid of him," Neku quickly concluded.

"My, you're pretty sharp, Neku! I knew that I chose..."

Neku quickly cut Josh's compliment short. "Then my answer is NO. I'm tired of fighting. I just wanna be with my friends."

"Oh, come now, Neku. Can't you do a favor for an old friend?" asked Josh.

Neku went silent for a while. He didn't want to fight anymore, but if he didn't help Joshua, his other friends would be harmed. He was conflicted.

"Ugh... Fine, I'll help. But you can't give me orders, and I can't go with you. I have a summer holiday too, you know."

"That will do, Neku. I'll give you special privileges, so you can go back and forth between the UG and the RG. I'll call you when I need you, mmkay?"

It appeared that Josh was quite satisfied.

"Fine." Neku's answer was short and simple. He quickly turned to Mr. H. "Hey, Mr. H! is my coffee done?"

"Here you go, Phones!" replied Mr. H. He gave Neku a mug of his specially brewed and bleded coffee. It smelled as good as it always have been. Neku grabbed the mug and drank it quickly.

"You know, Phones," Mr. H suddenly said, "seeing you drink your coffee like that reminds me of an old buddy I met in a parallel dimension. He works as an attorney at law, and he's also a coffee expert, like me."

"He sounds like a video game character," Neku replied.

"Oh, almost forgot. Take these, Phones!" Mr. H threw some pins at Neku. Thankfully, he had set his mug down, so Neku caught the pins with ease. The pins were blank when Neku caught them, but an image started to appear on one of the pins. It became a red pin, with an orange flame in the middle.

It was the same pin that Shiki gave him on his first day playing the Game.

"Give the others to your friends," Mr. H said, "they'll return everyone's psychs. You guys will need them a lot."

"Alright. Thanks, Mr. H."

"Neku," called Josh, "you said that you won't go with me to prevent Sho's invasion, right? Well, I decided to just wait for him to come here and face him here."

"Why would you do that?" Neku asked.

"Things could go very different there. I could be attacked by Taboo Noises as soon as I set foot there. So, I'll just let him come here," explained Josh. "I'll just text you when I need your help. When you want to go to the UG, you'll just have to say 'vibe change, UG', and vice versa."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do that. So can I go back now?" complained Neku.

"Yes, yes. But before you leave, I'd like to warn you," Josh said. "As you know, Sho would come here to invade Shibuya. He needs to unleash a large amount of Imagination to go here."

Imagination: a mysterious force that lets both ordinary humans and Reapers do magnificent things. To humans, a person with a vast amount of Imagination would use art and other creative outlets to unleash their powers, and influence others in the process. Reapers use their Imagination to summon Noises and protect themselves. Beings with high Imagination, namely, The Composer and The Producer, may also travel to other parallel universes if they so wish.

"However, he has been tainted by the Taboo Noise. This makes travel to a specific universe make wormholes in other universes," continued Joshua. "So, you can expect to come across a few strange things this summer, like people from video games."

"Video games? They're just our work of fiction, right?" asked Neku.

"To us, yes. But they actually exist, from the point that the developers designed the characters and their world. So, keep an eye out for them, OK?"

"Alright. So, I'll leave you guys now," Neku hastily ended the conversation.

He stood up and prepared to return to the RG. "Vibe change, RG."

A dark blue aura covered Neku, and as soon as it disappeared, Neku had returned to his room.  
__________________________________________________________________________________

"He seemed pretty reluctant there, Boss," said Mr. H. It had been a minute since Neku left the Dead God's Pad.

"Yeah, but he'll help me for sure."


	5. Chapter IV: Dawn of Chaos

_Suddenly, I got this HUGE concept about how Neku would use his Pyrokinesis psych. It would be lame if he could only generate flames from the ground, right? I decided to add a special something something to the psych, making Neku able to fight more easily. Can it turn into a Keyblade? Or maybe into a bazooka? Just wait~ Anyways, here's the 4th chapter. Enjoy!_

**IV. Dawn of Chaos**

_Shibuya, 9.30 AM_

Neku yawned after looking at his watch. He had waited for Beat and Rhyme for 20 minutes. He sat near the statue of Hachiko, an Akita Inu famous for its loyalty to its master, even after his death. Neku felt like he's in the same situation as the dog.

"Here's some coffee, Neku." Shiki handed him a cup of coffee from the nearest Sunshine Burger shop.

"Thanks, Shiki. This is just what I need." Neku grabbed the cup and drank some of the coffee.

After returning from the Dead God's Pad, Neku still couldn't sleep. He was deep in thought about what would happen. _Will Sho succeed in conquering my Shibuya? Would I need to fight again? Are those video game characters really going to appear?_ These questions filled Neku's mind. He then decided to dismiss all his unnecessary thoughts and use whatever little time he has to sleep, but as expected, he still hasn't got enough.

"Why haven't they showed up yet?" Neku wondered.

"I called them," replied Shiki, "said that they're almost here. Heehee, I bet he's going to go 'Beatwagon' on us again."

"Yeah, he definitely will," said Neku, as he laughed and almost dropped his cup of coffee. He decided to finish it before it puts him in some serious trouble: spilling coffee on his white pants.

"YOOOO!"

"Over here~!"

Two familiar voices called Neku and Shiki. One was obviously Beat, and the other was from a little girl. As promised, Beat had brought Rhyme with him.

"You guys took long enough," Neku said. He was just about to get up and approach them when Shiki pushed Neku away and rushed towards Rhyme and hugged her.

"Rhyme! Long time no see!" Shiki ran to Rhyme and hugged her like a teddy bear. No average girl can avoid having urges of hugging Rhyme at first sight, and fortunately, Shiki is Rhyme's friend. She can hug Rhyme without hesitating.

"H-hey, Shiki... Long time no see, too."

"Oh! Sorry about that!" Shiki released Rhyme when she heard Rhyme struggling to say just a few words.

"So, where are we going to now?" Beat asked Neku.

"Ummm, before we go anywhere, you guys take these." Neku handed each of his friends the blank pins.

"Huh? What's this, Phones? These pins are... blank," Beat asked in confusion.

"Mr. H wanted us to keep them. Said we're gonna need it." As soon as Neku finished talking, the pins showed images. Shiki's pin showed a picture of... a stuffed pig? No, it had to be Mr. Mew, Shiki's stuffed cat. Beat's pin showed a skateboard, and Rhyme's showed her bell pendant.

"Hey, these are... our psychs, right?" Shiki asked. "Why are we going to need it?"

"Yeah, Neku," added Rhyme, "we're not in the Reaper's Game anymore."

"You'll see soon enough. We've got to be ready," Neku warned them all.

_Beep-beep!_

"Oh, a text message." Neku grabbed his cell phone and opened the message. He had a surprised look as he read the contents.

'_The first wave of Sho's invasion is near.__  
__Some Noise are bound to appear.__  
__Prepare yourselves.___

_-Joshua-___

_P.S. Your psych have been enhanced. Go try it out._

"Guys..." Neku said in a serious tone, "I think we're in trouble. Prepare yourselves!"

The others were confused hearing what Neku said. Before they had time to ask anything, a loud voice echoed through the air. It seemed to be an announcement, but the voice was a bit garbled, and the contents were strange. It said: "Three point one four one five nine two six five three five eight nine seven..."

"The numbers... Pi?" Neku wondered.

Neku could feel the Noise forming disturbances in the UG, while affecting electronic equipment in the RG as well.

_The Noise are doing this._

People were collapsing while holding their heads in agony.

_The Noise are possessing them._

He knew just the right action.

Neku dashed away from his friends and headed for the station underpass, well away from the unaffected bystanders' view. Quickly, he tuned his vibe into the UG frequency and headed back to Hachiko.

Before him, hordes of frog Noises appeared. _Puny_, as he remembered, _but pretty harmful in large groups._ He then proceeds to grab his pin, trying to activate his psych, to no effect.

_I need a partner_, he thought.

Suddenly, a young spiky-haired boy bumped into Neku. He seemed to be running away from something. His breathing was heavy, and behind him followed a few more frog Noises.

"Hey, you!" Neku shouted to the boy. "You with the weird spiky hair! You need help?!"

The boy turned to look at Neku and shouted back. "Anything to get rid of these... things!"

Just like that, light covered them both.

The boy's face showed fascination, while Neku stood with a stoic expression as the lights went brighter and dimmed shortly after.

"You ready?!" Neku asked the boy. His hand was covered with a supernatural flame, one coming from his psych.

With his back facing Neku's, the boy lifted his right arm. An enormous key appeared in his grip. He proceeded to assume a stance, his eyes observing the entire area.

"Yeah," the boy replied. "Let's do this!"  
End note from me: Sorry about the shortness I felt that the description for their 1st battle would be better off separated from this one and make up its own chapter. Expect even more surprises!


	6. Chapter V: Of Keys and Flames

**V. Of Keys and Flames**

_Two young boys, each holding their own weapon._

_A horde of Noise, hopping in place, stood before them._

_Both boys showed no signs of fear._

_They know exactly what to do._

Neku surveyed his surroundings, marking the locations and the movements of the Noise in his head. He then closed his eyes, focused on himself and visualized a tower of flames scorching the ground, right at the places he mentally marked. As soon as he opened his eyes, the frogs in front of him were incinerated by towering flames, reducing them to piles of ashes which soon disappeared.

The spiky-haired boy obviously did not just stand around. He lunged forward with his key, star-shaped sparks flying from the tip with each strike he lands. Neku was puzzled to see that every Noise was erased with each strike of the key. Before long, both boys easily dealt with the frogs.

More Noise symbols flashed before them, sprouting ravens with weird-shaped beaks and talons. They hover slowly over the two, far out of reach, even if they jumped. Neku tried to conjure tongues of flame from the ground in the same fashion as before, but they could not reach the ravens.

*_beep beep!*_

"_Perfect timing,_" complained Neku. He couldn't just ignore the danger of a sudden strike from the ravens, but Neku decided to read the message for the heck of it.

"_I'm pretty sure I told you your psych has been enhanced. Why don't you try shooting the ravens down?_"

_Shooting them?_ Neku was pretty sure that his pyrokinesis pin did not allow him to do that. It was limited to summoning flames from the ground. He looked at the pin – just to make sure he remembered right – to his own surprise: the image was no longer a simple flame, but it was changed into a flaming arm. In the background, a large, white question mark can be seen.

"Hey! Are you just gonna stand there and look at that pin?!" the spiky-haired boy shouted. "How are we supposed to deal with these birds?"

"Don't worry," Neku said quietly, "I know just the thing."

Neku raised his right arm, his palm facing the ravens. He finally knew that his right arm was in flames, but he did not care. Besides, he felt no extreme heat from the flames; instead, he felt a gentle, warm sensation.

Again, Neku closed his eyes and visualized fireballs, emerging from his palm and pursuing the ravens. He opened his eyes to see that the ravens were about to dive down at them. The spiky-haired boy prepared himself. As the ravens came near, Neku had a confident look on his face.

_Bang._

In a split second, fireballs were shot out of Neku's palm, travelling in an unbelievable speed towards the ravens. A few were no strong enough to withstand the sheer heat of the fireballs, and were erased in the blink of an eye. The rest flinched and slowly fell, much to the spiky-haired boy's amusement. Quickly, he threw his key towards the ravens, hitting them one by one in a magnificent arc. The key returned to its wielder in a brief flash of light.

"You're pretty good," the spiky-haired boy called out to Neku.

"Heh, you're not half bad yourself," Neku replied.

Their work was far from over, though, as two more Noise symbols appeared before each of them and a bear-like creature spawned from the symbol. Slowly stomping towards the two, they roar and swipe wildly at them.

As one bear came near and tried to assault the spiky-haired boy with its claws, he let his reflexes take over and swung his key forward, holding it firmly as if to block the attack. His efforts were futile, though, for the bear easily knocked the key away. The boy was flung away, and seemed like he lost consciousness.

The key slid smoothly towards Neku's feet, but he didn't have time to realize all that. He was faced by two bear Noise, unable to escape.

_Crap._

Both bears lifted their claws, ready to mutilate Neku with a single strike.

_I'm not gonna make it through this._

"**Use the keyblade!"**

The spiky-haired boy shouted at Neku, but before Neku had time to turn around or even listen what he said, he saw the bear's claw coming at him. He knew that there was another claw going for him just behind him. He could only cover his body with his arms, close his eyes, and hope his death would be a painless one.


	7. Chapter VI: Trial

**Trial**

_Where... am I?_

Neku opened his eyes to the black, lightless void around him. He could still see his own body, unharmed, but nothing beyond the darkness. He could hear nothing except for his own thoughts.

"So, you're finally awake," a familiar voice called out to Neku.

As he turned his head to look for the owner of the voice, a bright light blinded him, completely illuminating the black void. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself standing on a large platform, decorated by what looks like stained glass. He was surprised by what his eyes beheld; an image of a boy, closely resembling himself, standing before a magnificent, open gate, surrounded by smaller images of Neku's friends.

"What... what is this?" Neku said to himself.

"Now, now, Neku, you don't need to be so surprised," the voice called out yet again. This time, Neku was able to intercept the voice without hindrance. It was Joshua, standing a few feet before him.

"Josh? Why are you here? ...More importantly, why am _I_ here?! What is this place?"

"Shush, Neku. Don't get your pants up in a twist," Josh replied.

"I saw you fight with that spiky-haired kid. Your skills were... well, let's just say that they're pretty _dull_," Josh continued.

"Shut up," Neku groaned.

"Not that it matters much. You were able to hold on your own quite well, despite your last Game being a long time ago."

"Heh, thanks for the compliment," Neku muttered, in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Hmm? What was that, Neku?"

"Uhh... no no, nothing," Neku stuttered. "A-anyway, what happened? Why am I here? What about that kid?"

"Don't worry. He's with Mr. H now. He'll be fine," assured Josh. "And as for the reason I called you here... you'll see in a few moments."

Just as Neku was going to inquire more, Joshua disappeared with a flash of bright blue, and a black apparition appeared in his place. It looked almost humanoid, save for having only yellow eyes. It summoned a black blade out of nowhere, and quickly lunged to strike Neku. His reflexes not dulled, he jumped to the side, just a few inches away from the blade's dark edge. The creature did not stop, for it launched quickly from where it stood last. Again, Neku successfully evaded, but he knew he couldn't keep this up forever.

He would have to fight.

His arm now glowing with a warm light, he quickly punches the creature, leaving a magnificent trail of fire behind. He then proceeds to shoot fireballs at its face, knowing that a simple punch would not obliterate it. It quickly disperses into a dark miasma.

But if matters were to end there, it would be too easy, no? This was what went in Neku's head. He stays on guard, his feet ready to move and his arm glowing brightly still. His caution paid off, for more of the black ghosts jumped from the black void. Neku quickly surveyed his surrounding. He sees 4 of them, each armed with the same weapon as what the last ghost had. He needed to dispose of them quickly. Drawing out the fight would tire him out, and he expects more things waiting for him here. Ever the creative one, he conjures towers of flame around him, forming a wall that hit – and erased – all four ghosts in succession.

This time, it was over. A magnificent door appeared before Neku in a glint of light. In curiosity, Neku approached the door slowly, touching its handle when he came right in front of it.

_**Do not be afraid.**_

"Huh?" The voice surprised Neku. There was no one around. He knew that Joshua would be the only one able to connect with him here – for this place seems to be one of his creations, Neku thought – but it was not his voice.

_**Open the door, the door to your future... Shibuya's future...**_

"Shibuya's... future?" asked Neku.

_**There is no time to be afraid.**_

_**You, who have saved Shibuya once, must do it once more.**_

_**Open the door to your future, Shibuya's future.**_

Still confused, Neku ponders to himself. _Shibuya's future... is my future? What would happen if I open this door?_

He dismisses his thoughts, for the door seemed to be the only way out. Slowly, he opened the door, stepping into a white realm.

_**We depend on you, Neku Sakuraba.**_

*

The door had led Neku to a similar place, but this time the stained glass is a tad bit darker. The image has also changed a bit, now featuring a white dragon circling half of the circular stained glass. A red dragon circles the other half, opening its mouth as if to attack the white dragon. The floor is stained with black, white, and gray thorn-like patterns crisscrossing over the original image. _This is twisted,_ Neku thought. He continues to wander around the area, looking at every detail the floor has to offer him.

His search had to be interrupted by a loud thumping noise. It came from the black void. Neku ran to the edge, looking down, but he saw nothing. Without warning, a giant hand came from behind Neku and snatched him away.

Squirming in the giant fist, he could make out the figure of the owner of the fist. It was a giant, its shape similar to that of the creatures he had encountered earlier. White thorns protrude from its shoulders, with gray tribal-like designs sprawling all over its body.

But Neku had no time to care for details. The giant threw him high into the air. Neku felt the forces of gravity as he fell down, the giant's punching fist ready to reach him. In a quick rush of adrenaline, Neku flipped in the air, his feet touching the giant's fist and bouncing off straight towards the giant's head. Knowing what to do next, he punched the giant's face, his psych activated. The flames enter the giant's body. It is invisible to him, but Neku knew that the attack was successful. He pulled his arm out, carefully landing softly, for he knew that staying there for too long would mean that the giant could punch him.

The giant, seemingly feeling no damage at all, proceeds to stomp the ground where Neku stood. He quickly dashed around its foot as soon as it lands and attacking it as he went. This caused the giant to lose balance and fall on its knees. Neku did not let up on the attack, slashing the kneeling foot with a tongue of flame he summoned. But this was all a ruse by the giant. As Neku was wildly slashing the giant's feet, it quickly swept its hand, knocking Neku away. He hurled and landed with a loud thump.

Neku struggled to get up as the giant slowly approach. The floor shakes with every step it takes. Having gained the strength to stand up properly, he evaded the giant's swipe, but he cringed in pain as he dashed. His ribs and feet hurt, possibly from the swipe he took moments before. Still trying to bear with the pain, he jumped to avoid another swipe, and quickly – either by calculation or sheer luck – he set his feet down on the giant's hand and used it as a springboard to jump at the giant's head again. This time, he conjured a blade of fire, and aimed for the giant's forehead. But the giant is also prepared. It swung its hand right in front of its face, knocking Neku away just like a fly being swatted. Fortunately he had stuck his blade on the giant's hips, and slowly descended, cutting through the giant's thighs and legs until he touches he ground. The giant lets out a deafening scream, enough to send Neku flying a few feet, dangerously close to the edge.

Neku gnashed his teeth. His pains started to hinder his advance as the giant let out a relentless succession of attacks. There's only one thing to do: end the fight as quickly as he could. In a mad dash, he went for the giant's leg, slashing and shooting it as he passed. The giant again fell on its knees, allowing Neku to continue. He is more wary now, for he knew that another strike would kill him for sure. Quickly, he attacked the other leg with pillars of flame. The giant lost his balance and fell on its belly.

_This is it,_ Neku thought, _the final strike!_

Neku jumped to the giant's hand, stabbed it with his flaming blade and ran to its shoulder with the blade still stuck in the giant's body, leaving a trail of fire. The giant screamed, but Neku did not let up. He went for its head now, with his blade now growing larger and larger. Just as the giant raised its head, Neku stabbed it from behind, puncturing its head right through. He quickly pulled the blade out, and the giant soon dissipated into a dark shadow. Curiously enough, the shadow moved – in a slow, creeping manner – to engulf Neku.

As he struggles in futility to escape the darkness, the ominous voice echoed:

_**Do not be afraid.**_

_**Many ordeals may come to you...**_

_**But you have proven to be capable to pull through.**_

_**We believe in you.**_


End file.
